The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-07-16
A MOUNTAIN cOURTSHIP,


 of Arkansaw is sometimes the very es- sence of sentimental drollery. The young man of the mountains is bash ful youth; and, unlike his contempo- rary of the bottoms, looks upon the performance of approaching the wo- man with whom he has just fallen in love as Siamese would regard the devout act of approaching the white elephant.
 A wealthy man who had established an attractive home in the Ozark mountains, and whose beautiful daughter had bound up, with ribbons, bundle of seminary honors and brought them away with her, one day turned to hls daughter and said:
 "Olivia, wonder comes that fellow Sim Trotter again. Why do you sup pose he comes here so often?"
 "I have no idea," the girl replied. His visits are deep mystery to me. He begins to bow and scrape as soon as he enters the gate, almost crawls up on the porch and then sits in apparent misery for an hour or two without saying anything"
 "Well, am going to find out what he wants," said the father. "He acts as if owe him something and that he is ashamed to ask for it."
 Sim bowed low after opening the gate, and then, humping over like a man setting out sweet potato slips, approached the porch where the father and daughter were sitting.
 "Hi," nodding at the father. "Hi," nodding at the girl. He nervously accepted chair which Olivia brought for him, leaned back against post and famed himself with his straw hat.
 "You appear to be warm, Mir. Trot- ter," said the host.
 "E-e-e-hot-e-e," Sim replied, cast ing glance at the girl and lodging as though some one had thrown stone at him.
 "I am of the opinion that we'll have rain pretty soon," Olivia remarked.
 Sim said "E-e-e," glanced at her and dodged with such energy that his chair tipped over and sent him sprawl ing on the ground. He got up, rubbed himself, said ''e-e-e" and resumed his seat. After a while, moved by sudden courage, he turned to the host and said:
 "Yo' names Baxter, aint it? E-e-e."
 "Ycs sir"
 "E-e-e. That's whut I lowed"
 He glanced at Olivia, bit a mouth ful out of his straw hat, turned to MT. Baxter and said: "I ken bite like CT hoss? E-e-e."
 "Yes, the lower part of your head seems to be pretty strong"
 "You know Gabe Terry?"
 'No, I am not acquainted with him" !"
 "I bit CT piece outer him onct as big as frog. E-e-e."
 "Mr. Trotter, you are more talkative this time than you have been on any former occasion"
 "Yas, fur pap and mur lowed yis- tidy that it wuz time fur me to talk. You know Martin Bruce?"
 "I do not" MT. Baxter replied.
 "I grabbed him up onct an flung him over the fence. E-e-e."
 "You are doubtless a very strong man," said Baxter, amused at his visi- tors enumeration of accomplishments
 "E-e-e. Know Bill Moore?"
 "No."
 "Snatched him up an toted him of. {" Again he snapped mouthful of straw out of his hat, looked at the girl and dodged.
 "Mr. Trotter," said Baxter, "may 1 ask the object of your visits?"
 He looked up with a jerk, swelled alarmingly, exploded with a "g-o-o-o," twisted himself around and said Want that gal" Then, leaping from the porch, he ran across the yard, cleared the fence at a single bound and disappeared in the woods. The girl shrieked with laughter and the father shook until the vines clinging above his head tTsm5.ed ;n excite ment.
 Do you suppose he will ever come back again?" Olivia asked.
 "Yes. There he comes now"
 Sim opened the gate, went through his usual process of setting out sweet potato slips, nodded with "hi" at Baxter, with a "hf" at the girl, sat down and again took mouthfnl oi his hat. Several minutes of silence followed, and then, Sim, turning to Baxter, said:
 "You know Tobe Boyle, reckon?''
 '.I have seen him."
 "Hil him down so tight he couldn't move. E-e-e.0
 "As remarked just now, you are a very strong man, but that has nothing to do with the point at issue. Have ] you any business with me?"